A new exhibit highlighting the work of renowned American landscape photographer David Muench opened this week at the Cline Library’s Special Collections and Archives.
In 2022, NAU announced that Muench had donated his photographic legacy to Cline Library Special Collections and Archives (SCA). Regionally known for his numerous contributions to Arizona Highways magazine, as well as his collaborations with the National Park Service, Muench’s commercial success took him and his camera around the globe.
The SCA’s new exhibit, David Muench: The Allure of Light, provides a glimpse into the photographer’s decades-long career. The exhibit’s title references Muench’s signature approach to landscape photography, which he summarized in Arizona Highways’ December 2015 issue as “the idea of light defining the image.” NAU student Niko Bare, SCA’s 2025 Elizabeth M. and P. T. Reilly intern, applied his keen sense of aesthetics to selecting photographs for inclusion in the exhibit. A landscape painter himself, Bare is pursuing a degree in studio art with minors in museum studies and art history. Bare worked alongside SCA staff to design the layout of the physical exhibit, which includes three original framed photographs created by Muench.
The exhibition will be on display in Cline Library’s SCA gallery until August 2027.
To learn more about Muench and the landscapes he documented, visit theDavid Muench: The Allure of Light exhibit in person or online at the SCA exhibits website.
Plan your visit
In person: The physical exhibit is on display through August 2027.
- Visit the physical exhibit any time Special Collections and Archives is open. View Special Collections and Archives hours.
- A selection of David Muench’s Arizona Highways magazine covers is on display on the first floor of Cline Library in Matador at Scholar’s Corner Café. View Matador at Scholar’s Corner hours.
- View Cline Library location and parking information.
Online:
- The exhibit website for David Muench: The Allure of Light can be viewed at any time and will continue to be accessible after the close of the physical exhibit.
- To learn more about Niko Bare and other student’s experiences working with the David Muench collection, visit the SCA Blog.
Image: Ancient Bristlecone Pines, Schulman Grove, White Mountains, Inyo National Forest, CA